Arkansas government regrets signing ban on mask warrants

Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson said he regrets signing a law that blocks mask warrants as the state faces an increase in COVID-19 cases and a low rate of vaccination.

“Well, I signed it at the time because our cases were at a very low point,” Hutchinson, a Republican, told reporters at a press conference on Tuesday, referring to the law as he had signed in April.

“I knew it would be overturned by the Legislature if I didn’t sign it. And… I had already eliminated our statewide mask mandate.

“Everything has changed now,” he added. “And yes – in hindsight, I wish it hadn’t become law.”

The governor now wants to change the law to give schools the flexibility to adopt their own mask requirements. Students under 12 are not yet eligible for COVID-19 vaccines.

The Legislature was recalled to session this week and is considering changes to the ban – but it can be difficult to garner support for a change with the GOP majority.

With the highly contagious Delta variant now the dominant strain in the United States, cases are on the rise everywhere. Arkansas has seen cases increase, with a new one-day hospitalization record earlier this week.

Hutchinson is in the midst of a push to encourage residents to get vaccinated, battling what he called misinformation in a state where vaccination rates are among the lowest in the country.

According to the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention, approximately 58% of the eligible U.S. population has been fully vaccinated against COVID-19. But only 42 percent of Arkansas’ eligible population has been fully vaccinated, according to the state Department of Health.

As cases increase, there has also been an increase in vaccinations, Hutchinson said during his press briefing. The state reported Tuesday that there had been 30,000 new doses given in a 24-hour period – of which 25,000 were first injections – by far the most in a four-week period.

“Thank you, Arkansans for doing more research, talking to your doctors, getting information, reliable sources and making this decision which is helping us all,” Hutchinson said.

With post wires